Student who never attended Career Point College told she owes $16K in loans

Woman says she learned about loans when trying to enroll in other school

SAN ANTONIO - Danielle Ogasian said when trying to enroll in an online university, staff members at the school’s financial aid office asked her to provide documentation regarding her loans for Career Point College.

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"He said, ‘It’s a school called Career Point College. Do you know of this school?' I said 'I’ve heard of the school, but I’ve never been there,’” Ogasian said.

She was told she owed the school $16,160.49.

Career Point closed abruptly in late 2016 amid an investigation into financial aid violations at the school. Hundreds of students were left angry, confused and wondering how their education would be affected.

Before the closure, Ogasian listed Career Point as a school she was interested in on a federal student aid form. She clicked a link on the Career Point website, saying she wanted more information about the school.

Ogasian chose to enroll in another university instead. She said she never signed any paperwork for Career Point, nor was she contacted by anyone from the school. She disputed the loans with her lender, which sent the claim to the U.S. Department of Education.

“Every person that I’ve talked to has said they don’t understand how this wasn’t caught way before this,” Ogasian said.

Over several months, the KSAT 12 Defenders emailed and spoke by phone with a spokesperson for the Department of Education but received few answers about Ogasian’s case.

Then Ogasian got the answer she had been wanting.

“I got a letter in the mail saying that I was clear and I’m not responsible for any of the loans that had to do with Career Point,” she said. “I didn’t really believe it, so I had to go online and it said zero on everything.”

Ogasian was then able to enroll in another school and is currently continuing her education without the stress of how to pay for one she never received.

“It’s just very, very relieving,” she said. “I feel like I can go back to school now, which I am, and not have to worry about all these excess loans. I don’t really have any worries now that I’m in school.”

Nearly three months after the Defenders began inquiring about Ogasian’s case, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Education said in an email that the agency cannot speculate as to why or how Ogasian had loans for Career Point if she never enrolled there.

When asked about the investigation into the college, the department said it cannot comment on ongoing enforcement actions or reviews.

A group of former Career Point College students sued the school last year, alleging fraud. Career Point filed for bankruptcy soon after. The bankruptcy case remains in state court.